Consumers vs. Non-Consumers?

By Regis Tremblay

The words we choose to use to frame any issue often limit understanding and prevent us from finding solutions even if we are speaking the same language. Such is the case with how various user groups understand their Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, and the role the Department plays in protecting what we as Mainers care about.

Until 1983, IF&W was known as the Department of Inland Fisheries and Game. Most other states still use the “Fish and Game” moniker to describe their wildlife agencies. When the State of Maine adopted “wildlife” to replace “game” it did so with the acknowledgement that it represented a fundamental shift in philosophy and understanding and the potential impact to the future of Maine’s outdoors.

Undeniably, the word game places an emphasis on the consumptive side of traditional Maine outdoor recreation. Merriam-Webster defines game as: (1): animals under pursuit or taken in hunting; especially: wild animals hunted for sport or food (2): the flesh of game animals.

Our Department has a long history of actively managing and stocking to ensure rich hunting and fishing opportunity for Maine residents and visitors from away; a tradition that we are proud of and a tradition we have every intention of continuing. However, direct management for game species is only one component of conserving Maine’s quality of treasured habitats, species, and recreational opportunities.

During the past several decades Fish and Game agencies have become increasingly aware of the need to focus on the entire fabric of our ecosystems if hunting and angling opportunities are to be preserved in the face of a rapidly changing landscape. Habitat conservation needs to mesh with all levels of town, county and state development planning. Invertebrates, amphibians, reptiles, and all the other often overlooked rivets in Maine’s ecological machine need to be inspected and accounted for lest the entire system or important functions grind to a halt.

Despite the fact that the science behind wildlife management has undergone a tremendous evolution in the past few decades, the public’s perception of what the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife does, or what outsiders think we should be doing hasn’t always kept in step. Many people still call us the Fish and Game Department, and many still think that our job should only focus on providing hunting and angling opportunities. Parallel semantic misconceptions often arise when considering wildlife user groups. A distinction is often drawn between “consumers” and “non-consumers”.

Consumer has come to mean sportsmen and women who buy licenses to hunt and fish, and those who register their boats, ATVs, and snowmobiles. Traditionally, the consumer has carried the burden of supporting Fish and Game Departments through licenses and fees. Here in Maine, that represents 90% of our entire budget of approximately $24 million. Only $2 million comes from the General Fund and non-license/fee revenue.

It could reasonably be argued that consumptive users have carried far more than their fair share of the Department’s efforts to date and the non-consumer has contributed little financially in IF&W’s efforts to protect and preserve our fish, wildlife, and their habitat. As a result, friction often results as bill paying “consumer” groups perceive the Department’s focus on non-game or habitat issues as taking away from the Department’s responsibility in delivering “product”, or providing hunting and fishing opportunities.

Just as our shift from “game” to “wildlife” is indicative of our Department’s more holistic approach to preserving Maine’s outdoor heritage, we need to move beyond a consumer / non-consumer dialect to thinking of all as benefitting from the Department’s efforts. With this shift in thinking, the burden of protecting and preserving the state’s natural resources and habitat, that is home for us as well as the hundreds of species of wildlife, falls on all of us who call Maine home, or who visit Maine to recreate and enjoy her unmatched wilderness, character, and beauty.

In next month’s column, we will discuss why the current system of funding IF&W is no longer adequate to protect and preserve our natural resources, Quality of Place, and the state’s economic foundation. Tourism is often pointed to as our number one industry, (fish and wildlife related tourism alone accounts for an estimated $1.6 billion in our economy), yet tourism alone cannot be relied on for our long-term economic prosperity. Maine remaining Maine is the basis for tourism, foundation of our economy and the key to our economic future.

DEPARTMENT INFORMATION

Consumers vs. Non-Consumers?